Written questions by Maguire.

How many cancer drugs have been approved for use in (a) 2021-2022, (b) 2022-2023, (c) 2023-2024 and (d) 2024-2025.

The following table shows the number of cancer medicines that have been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in each of the last four full business years:YearNumber of recommendations2021/22362022/23362023/24282024/2537 The information provided includes all medicines recommended for routine use for some or all of the eligible patient population, and medicines recommended for managed access through the Cancer Drugs Fund.

How many people were admitted to A&E in England on weekends in (a) 2021-2022, (b) 2022-2023, (c) 2023-2024 and (d) 2024-2025.

The data is not available in the format requested. NHS England does not publish data on patients who were admitted to accident and emergency in England on weekends or after 5:00pm. The only data available is for patients seen within four hours and 12 hours.

What assessment she has made of trends in the level of concessionary bus journeys undertaken by (a) elderly and (b) disabled people.

The Department publishes statistics on concessionary travel in England in the Concessionary Travel Statistics release, which are based on survey data collected from Travel Concession Authorities (TCAs). Concessionary travel relates to when eligible people travel on reduced (or free) fares. The latest concessionary travel statistics, including figures on concessionary bus passenger journeys in England for the year ending March 2019 to the year ending March 2024 for older and disabled people are provided in the table below: Table: Older and Disabled Concessionary Bus Journeys, millionsYear ending MarchEnglandEngland outside LondonLondonEnglish metropolitan areasEnglish non-metropolitan areas2019861592269226366202080255025220934020212701799276103202249132216912919320235703721981412312024604389215144245 More information can be found in the Department’s Concessionary Travel Statistics release, which is available on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/concessionary-travel-statistics-year-ending-march-2024 The Department does not currently hold data separately for elderly and disabled concessionary passenger journeys. Data for the year ending March 2025 is not currently available but is scheduled for publication on GOV.UK on 26 November 2025.

How many people were admitted to A&E in England after 5pm in (a) 2021-2022, (b) 2022-2023, (c) 2023-2024 and (d) 2024-2025.

The data is not available in the format requested. NHS England does not publish data on patients who were admitted to accident and emergency in England on weekends or after 5:00pm. The only data available is for patients seen within four hours and 12 hours.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of mandating zero-emission transport refrigeration units for refrigerated transport to replace diesel units.

The Department for Transport is working with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to develop an Off-Road Machinery Decarbonisation Strategy, the scope of which includes transport refrigeration units (TRUs). This strategy will set out how off-road machinery can further decarbonise while maintaining competitiveness, attracting investment, and supporting growth. Decisions on the long-term approach towards refrigerated units will be taken in the context of this strategy.

What steps he plans to take to improve the early detection of liver cancer as part of the forthcoming National Cancer Plan.

The early diagnosis of cancers, including liver cancer, is a key focus of the National Cancer Plan, in order to improve outcomes. The Department received over 11,000 responses to its call for evidence and has engaged extensively with patients, clinicians, and charities to help shape the plan’s priorities, including partners representing liver cancer charities.In addition, the National Health Service in England and public health partners are taking immediate action to improve the early diagnosis of liver cancer.The NHS and public health partners promote awareness of the risk factors and symptoms for liver disease and liver cancer, including through the early identification of hepatitis B and C and the management of underlying liver disease, to help reduce the risk of late diagnosis.The NHS England cancer programme is working to detect more hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) at an early stage, when the chances of survival are higher. This includes through Community Liver Health Checks and liver primary care case finding, to identify people with advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis requiring HCC surveillance. NHS England is also expanding access to diagnostic tests, including imaging and pathology, through community diagnostic centres, which have now delivered more than 8.7 million tests, checks, and scans since July 2024.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of satellite debris falling to earth on the environment.

The UK Space Agency has led global research on the potential environmental impact of satellites burning up in Earth’s atmosphere (atmospheric ablation) through a set of short, complementary research studies. Initial outcomes conclude there is an impact of metals on the atmosphere, but further research is needed to fully identify knowledge gaps and provide a solid evidence base for decision-making.The Space Industry Act (2018) requires applicants for launch operator and spaceport licences to provide the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) with an assessment of the effects that launches of spacecraft are expected to have on the environment.The National Space Operations Centre monitors all trackable space objects and provides indicators and warnings of re-entry and projected paths, particularly where objects are expected to have sufficient mass and volume for some or all components to survive to the surface.

With reference to the Elective Recovery Plan, published on 6 January 2025, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of targeted measures to reduce gynaecology waiting list.

Tackling waiting lists is a key part of our Health Mission. We have exceeded our pledge to deliver an extra 2 million operations, scans, and appointments, having delivered 5.2 million additional appointments between July 2024 and June 2025. This marks a vital First Step to delivering on the commitment that 92% of patients will wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment – in line with the National Health Service constitutional standard – by March 2029.The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the constitutional standard. Since our plan was published, we have seen improvements in gynaecology. Average waits have reduced from 15.9 weeks in January 2025 to 15.2 weeks in August 2025, and the number of patients waiting 18 weeks or less from referral to treatment has increased from 55.2% in January 2025 to 56.4% in August 2025. But we know there is still much more to do, and we will continue to support NHS trusts to deliver our targets through innovation, sharing best practice to increase productivity and efficiency, and ensuring the best value is delivered.The Elective Reform Plan also committed to piloting gynaecology pathways in community diagnostic centres (CDCs) as part of broader work to develop pathway improvements. So far over 200 pathway projects have been funded from the CDC Pathway Development Fund 2025/26, including gynaecology pathways.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of an increase in the use of satellites on GPS disruption.

Defence continually assesses the potential impacts of disruption to Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), including the US Global Positioning System (GPS), on Defence activities. Defence is taking steps to bolster the resilience of our positioning, navigation and timing capabilities through technology fusion and increasing co-operation with relevant partners. This includes close engagement with the Department of Science Innovation and Technology and our allies to examine mitigations and alternatives across this field.

What steps is his Department taking to address (a) regional and (b) socioeconomic inequality in (i) maternal and (ii) perinatal outcomes.

On 23 June 2025, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced a rapid, national, independent Investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal services to understand the systemic issues behind why so many women, babies, and families experience unacceptable care. The investigation will aim to identify the drivers and impacts of the inequalities faced by women, babies, and families from black and Asian backgrounds, those from deprived groups, and those from other marginalised groups when receiving maternity and neonatal care. The investigation will deliver interim recommendations in December 2025, ahead of further findings in spring 2026.A number of interventions specifically aimed at addressing maternal and neonatal inequalities are underway. These include the Perinatal Equity and Anti-Discrimination Programme, delivery of an inequalities dashboard and projects on removing racial bias from clinical education, and embedding genetic risk equity. Additionally, all local areas have published Equity and Equality action plans to tackle inequalities for women and babies from ethnic minorities as well as those living in the most deprived areas.To tackle the leading causes of maternal mortality and morbidity, we are introducing a Maternal Care Bundle to set clear standards across all services, focused on the main causes of maternal death and harm. Women from black and Asian backgrounds are more at risk of specific clinical conditions that are the leading causes of death. This bundle will target these conditions, and we expect a decline in deaths and harm.The Family Hubs and Start for Life programme also supports the reduction of health inequalities by providing universal support for infant feeding, perinatal mental health, and parent-infant relationships from conception to two years old. Building on the £126 million investment for 2025/26, a further £500 million will enable Best Start Family Hubs to be rolled out to every local authority from April 2026.

What steps he is taking to racial disparities in maternity care.

On 23 June 2025, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced a rapid, national, independent Investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal services to understand the systemic issues behind why so many women, babies, and families experience unacceptable care. The investigation will aim to identify the drivers and impacts of the inequalities faced by women, babies, and families from black and Asian backgrounds, those from deprived groups, and those from other marginalised groups when receiving maternity and neonatal care. The investigation will deliver interim recommendations in December 2025, ahead of further findings in spring 2026.A number of interventions specifically aimed at addressing maternal and neonatal inequalities are underway. These include the Perinatal Equity and Anti-Discrimination Programme, delivery of an inequalities dashboard and projects on removing racial bias from clinical education, and embedding genetic risk equity. Additionally, all local areas have published Equity and Equality action plans to tackle inequalities for women and babies from ethnic minorities as well as those living in the most deprived areas.To tackle the leading causes of maternal mortality and morbidity, we are introducing a Maternal Care Bundle to set clear standards across all services, focused on the main causes of maternal death and harm. Women from black and Asian backgrounds are more at risk of specific clinical conditions that are the leading causes of death. This bundle will target these conditions, and we expect a decline in deaths and harm.The Family Hubs and Start for Life programme also supports the reduction of health inequalities by providing universal support for infant feeding, perinatal mental health, and parent-infant relationships from conception to two years old. Building on the £126 million investment for 2025/26, a further £500 million will enable Best Start Family Hubs to be rolled out to every local authority from April 2026.

What estimate he has made of the expected return on investment for investments in Eutelsat OneWeb.

The UK Government's stake in Eutelsat and OneWeb supports UK strategic security and resilience in Low Earth Orbit satellite communications, helps drive UK-developed technology and space sector growth, increases global diversity in the market, and enhances UK-France security and defence collaboration. These benefits are expected to enhance the Ministry of Defence’s future deployed operations.

If he will take steps to ensure that the forthcoming (a) Cancer Plan and (b) 10 Year Workforce Plan will include plans to ensure that the NHS have the necessary levels of staff to meet its targets for (i) diagnosing and (ii) treating breast cancer.

The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention, and research and innovation. This will also include how we can reform the workforce to improve cancer patient outcomes, including for patients with breast cancer.The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. We are working through how the plan will articulate the changes for different professional groups. We are committed to working with partners to ensure the plan meets its aims and we will engage with independent experts to make sure the plan is ambitious, forward looking, and evidence based. To support this, the Department and NHS England will be engaging with key stakeholders to ensure that the needs of different patient groups, including patients with breast cancer, and relevant health professionals are reflected in this work.

If his Department will (a) collected and (b) publish data on people diagnosed with secondary breast cancer in the upcoming NHS cancer plan.

The Department recognises the importance of robust and timely data on people diagnosed with secondary (metastatic) breast cancer to support service planning and improve outcomes.Work is already under way. NHS England commissioned clinical audits on metastatic breast cancer to increase the consistency of access to treatments. The National Audit of Metastatic (Secondary) Breast Cancer (NAoMe) results are based on data about people in England and Wales diagnosed and treated for metastatic breast cancer between January 2020 and December 2022. The Department and NHS England are now acting on the audit’s findings.The National Cancer Plan is due to be published in early 2026. We have received more than 11,000 responses to our Call for Evidence and have had significant ongoing engagement with patients, clinicians, and charities. The Department is working closely with NHS England and cancer registration and audit bodies to ensure that data on secondary breast cancer continues to be collected, analysed and, where appropriate, made publicly available in line with national data standards.

If his Department will commit to (a) quantifying and (b) modelling (i) current and (ii) future NHS workforce shortages in diagnostic and imaging services; and if his Department will commit to working with the sector to develop a plan to address these shortfalls, in the context of the development of the 10-year workforce plan.

The Government will publish the 10 Year Workforce Plan in spring 2026. This Plan will set out action to create a workforce able to deliver the transformed services set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. It is important we do this in a robust and joined up way and so we are engaging extensively with partners and the sector to ensure this Plan delivers for staff and patients.Our call for evidence, due to close on 7 November 2025, is seeking evidence and views primarily from healthcare organisations and those with expertise in workforce planning to inform the development of the 10 Year Workforce Plan.We are already quantifying and modelling current and future workforce shortages in diagnostic imaging services through the work on the 10 Year Workforce Plan. This will provide an agreed position on current and future workforce gaps, and outline solutions for demand and supply optimisation to manage these.We are committed to expanding the diagnostics workforce in line with demand for skills and where pressures are greatest including ensuring there is sufficient workforce capacity in community diagnostic centres.

Whether he plans to allocate targeted capital funding to ensure that (a) maternity and (b) neonatal services can operate in (i) safe and (ii) fit-for-purpose buildings.

We recognise that maintaining and repairing our healthcare estate is a vital part of the Government’s ambition to create a National Health Service that is fit for purpose.As a first step towards improving our maternity and neonatal estate, we are investing £131 million through the 2025/26 Estates Safety Fund to address critical safety risks on the maternity estate, enabling safety and better care for mothers and their newborns. The funded works will delivery vital safety improvements, enhance patient and staff environments, and support NHS productivity by reducing disruptions across NHS clinical services. The Government is also backing the NHS with over £4 billion in operational capital in 2025/26, enabling systems to allocate funding to maternity and neonatal services where this is a local priority.In addition, £30 billion will be invested over the next five years in day-to-day maintenance and repair of the NHS estate, with over £5 billion specifically allocated to address the most critical building repairs, reducing the most serious and critical infrastructure risk in a targeted way.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of reductions in the budgets for Integrated Care Boards on (a) specialist services for women and (b) Women’s health hubs.

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement of the abolition of NHS England, we are clear on the need for a smaller centre, as well as scaling back integrated care board (ICB) running costs and National Health Service provider corporate cost reductions to reduce waste and bureaucracy.The Spending Review 2025 settlement provides an additional £29 billion of annual day-to-day spending in real terms by 2028/29 compared to 2023/24. We are now carefully reviewing how the settlement is prioritised.We are supporting ICBs to continue improving their delivery of women’s health hubs, in line with their responsibility to commission services that meet the needs of women in their local populations.We have heard from ICBs on the positive impacts that women’s health hubs have had on both women's access to care in the community and their experience. The Government is committed to encouraging ICBs to further expand the coverage of women’s health hubs and to support ICBs to use the learning from the women’s health hub pilots to improve local delivery of services to women and girls.

How much his Department has paid to Eutelsat OneWeb in each of the last six years.

The primary spend with Eutelsat OneWeb has been on test and trial activity related to assessing the Company’s service offerings in support of Defence’s Satellite Communications. The spend is shown in financial years, with the current fiscal year including an element that is projected spend. The Ministry of Defence’s procurement of OneWeb services is expected to increase from financial year (FY) 2026. FY 2025-26 £1.7 millionFY 2024-25 £72,000FY 2023-24 £222,000FY 2022-23 £100,000 No spend prior to April 2022

What steps he is taking to support the (a) development and (b) expansion of Women’s Health Hubs; and what steps he is taking to work with Integrated Care Boards to encourage this.

We are supporting integrated care boards (ICBs) to continue improving their delivery of women’s health hubs, in line with their responsibility to commission services that meet the needs of their local populations.We have heard from ICBs on the positive impacts that women’s health hubs have on both women's access to care in the community and their experience. The Government is committed to encouraging ICBs to further expand the coverage of women’s health hubs and to support ICBs to use the learning from the women’s health hub pilots to improve local delivery of services to women and girls. NHS England have therefore asked ICBs to include them in their plans for 2025/26.As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are committed to moving towards a neighbourhood health service, with more care delivered in local communities, to identify and address problems earlier and closer to home. Women’s health hubs are an example of this approach and can play a key role in delivering the Government’s manifesto commitments on tackling long NHS waiting lists, as well as shifting care into the community.The 2022 Women’s Health Strategy identified many important issues which remain valid, so we now need to align the strategy with the 10-Year Health Plan and identify areas where we need to go further.We know that women deserve better, which is why we are updating the Women’s Health Strategy, to assess the progress that has been made so far and to continue progressing delivery.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that the cancer service specifications for teenagers and young adults published in 2023 are (a) funded and (b) implemented as part of the National Cancer Plan.

The Department is committed to improving outcomes and patient experience for teenagers and young adults with cancer. The Department recognises that cancer in teenagers and young adults is different to cancer in adults and children, and that age-appropriate care is necessary regarding treatment, diagnosis, and wider support, as per the NHS England service specifications.The Department is committed to getting the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster so that more teenagers and young adults survive. The Department and NHS England are taking a range of steps to improve waiting times for cancer diagnosis and treatment across all cancer patient groups. This includes the NHS delivering an extra 40,000 scans, appointments, and operations each week to ensure that patients are seen and treated as quickly as possible.Furthermore, the Department set out expectations for renewed focus on cancer targets in the Elective Reform plan, published on 6 January 2025. The Department has asked systems and providers to identify local opportunities in both community diagnostic centres and hospital based diagnostic services to improve performance against the Faster Diagnosis Standard, to reduce the number of patients, including teenagers and young adults, waiting too long for a confirmed diagnosis of cancer.NHS England and other NHS organisations, nationally and locally, publish information on the signs and symptoms of many different types of cancer, including those that are most common in teenagers and young adults. Further information on cancer signs and symptoms is available on the NHS.UK website.The national service specifications relating to the provision of Teenage and Young Adult (TYA) Cancer Services describes the service and clinical standards, as well as the relationships that need to be in place with other services that patients might need to access. Alongside the publication of the TYA Cancer Service Specifications, NHS England provided investment to establish and run networks, whose purpose is to drive improvements to pathways and the co-ordination of care. As of 1 April 2025, the responsibility for commissioning TYA Cancer Services was delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs). This means that ICBs are responsible for ensuring continued compliance with national service specifications. TYA Cancer Services provide a level of psycho-social support for patients dealing with cancer diagnosis and treatment through cancer nursing and clinical support. Teenagers and young adults with cancer may also access support for their mental health needs in mental health services commissioned by ICBs, for example Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. The National Cancer Plan, due to be published in the new year, will have a commitment to children and young people, aged between zero and 24 years old with cancer, as a priority group. The plan will cover the entire pathway and aims to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer. On 4 February 2025, the Department relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experiences for young cancer patients. The taskforce will explore opportunities for improvement, including detection and diagnosis, genomic testing and treatment, research and innovation, and patient experience. The taskforce will also ensure that the unique needs of teenagers and young adults with cancer are carefully considered as part of the National Cancer Plan.